Images: Photo Contest Finalists

Children have fun in the sprinkler in Mount Prospect on July 5.Susan Fedor of Mount Prospect

A beautiful tiger intently watches something on the window at the Milwaukee Zoo.Deb Marak of Arlington Heights

Two dogs, Winston and Jasper, play with a sprinkler while cooling off on a hot summer day.Fred Share of Arlington Heights

A rider and her horse react to a spider in June.Carol Daly of Kildeer

A Boy Scout troop hikes and camps in the clouds at Philmont Scout Ranch, New Mexico last week.David Boes of Libertyville

I took this photo of these huge American White Pelicans on our vacation to Door County, Wisconsin. The camera fortunately caught the dark plumage of the first one's wings even though it was late in the evening around sunset. They were very majestic birds, and quite large.Andrew Zaleiski of South Elgin

I took this photo of a family of house finches that took up residence in a hanging planter on our front porch this summer. Here the mother feeds her hungry babies.Mike Weimer of St. Charles

I took this photo of the flowers in our garden which are extraordinary this summer. This is a photo of a Silk Road Orienpet Hybrid Lily that has huge 8" fragrant flowers that I especially like.Marilyn L. Hagen of West Dundee

A Monarch butterfly sits on a wildflower in the Grant Woods Forest Preserve in Ingleside on June 29.Marty Krogh of Ingleside

I took this picture on July 30th in the afternoon when I heard a bird yakking on my deck.John Costello of Wheaton

The weather changes fast in Northern Wisconsin. In this photo I captured the last glimpse of the setting sun as the storm front was moving in.Brian Wallace of West Chicago

I usually go on vacation to take pictures of various subjects but I was surprised to see a pair of red-tailed hawks in our backyard garden. I was fortunate one circled back right overhead.Dave Hoffrage from Lombard

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